When You Say Nothing at All
by moments.in.spring
Summary: He remembers the time back in high school when he used to intentionally block out her voice because she just wouldn't stop talking. Now here he is, willing to do anything, everything, to hear her voice again. There's no way her voice is gone forever.
1. Star Bakery

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Glee_ or anything else I mention in here.

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><p>i.<p>

He absolutely hates moving. The thought of packing up and never coming back blows his mind. No longer will he walk through the same hallway every single time he comes back from the office. Nor will he be able to hold the doorknob to his bedroom like he did millions of times before. And once the move is complete and everything is empty, there'd be no trace that a one Finn Hudson once lived there.

Seeing everything, wrapped up in some box, makes him feel that he's not only leaving his apartment behind, he's leaving behind the memories he made there. It's just a crappy apartment really, a room with a small kitchen and living space. But not to him, this place, it was his first home as a man. Most of his adult life has been spent building memories here, with _her_ to be exact-and now that he's leaving, it's only natural to feel that he's leaving behind a part of his old life too. These memories, well they're the only thing he has left of her. It's also part of the reason why he has to do it. It's inevitable really; he has to move, for himself, because truth be told he hasn't considered this place to be "home" in years.

"Well, I'd say that's the last of it."

"Nice work Hud, you actually managed to pack up every piece of clutter you horded in your apartment. No wait, you didn't do a damn thing; I did. I was the one who put these pieces of junk into boxes while you sat on that ass of yours shoving potato chips in your mouth watching _1000 Ways to Die_."

"Santana…"

"No need to thank me. I didn't land you a job promotion for you in LA for you, I did it for me. I'm sick of seeing that moping face of yours every day in the office. I am, however, glad you accepted it. Let's face it, you and I both know you haven't been the same since she left, and I think it's for the best that you get the hell out of New York so you can finally move on with your crummy life."

As much as he'd hate to admit it, Santana was right. His life wasn't exactly going as planned. He came to New York ten years ago for love. He promised her he would follow her to the ends of the earth and what better way to seal that promise than with a ring-a piece of their little world into the big city. They agreed that it would be best if they have a long-engagement and wait until she went on Broadway until they got married. He was foolish to actually believe that both could have accomplished all of their plans and dreams together. Now here he is ten years later with a promising career and a broken heart beyond repair. And it was all because destiny decided to turn from being their best friend to their worst enemy just in one night.

Santana was no different, he heart got broken just as bad as his. Not only did she lose her girlfriend, but she also lost her best friend. However unlike himself, she masks hers well. She used her heartbreak to get to the top, dragging him along with her.

"I'm going to miss you Santana."

"Just promise me one thing."

"What?"

"Promise me that you'll at least try to get laid."

"Santana."

"Who am I kidding, no one wants your sweaty body all over themselves. No, promise me that you try that new bakery in between Main and Second Street."

He scrunches his face at the randomness of her request. "Why?"

"Because knowing you you'll probably eat so much crap and I hear this bakery is supposed to be good for your health. No, I do not care about your health I care about your image, or more importantly the image of the company."

"Fine." He sighed, giving her one last hug before he left to drive to the other side of the country. "Take care Santana."

"You too."

He hates making promises to people, because he lost everything the last time he did. It's Santana though, he owes her. Still he didn't like the smirk on Santana's face the moment he left because it's the same face she gives when she wants to blackmail the rivaling companies. Santana Lopez was up to something.

ii.

"_Baby, would you stop worrying? You've been rehearsing nonstop for this night forever. You're going to be perfect out there."_

"_I don't know Finn, I mean what if the critics don't like me? I'm so close to Broadway I can feel it, but… what if I'm not good enough? My entire career as a future-Broadway actress relies on tonight."_

"_Rachel, look at me. You are going to shine tonight. You know how I know that? Because you're a star."_

"_Can you honestly promise me that?"_

"_I promise Rach. I swear, trust me."_

Waking up from his dream, he glanced at the clock. 12:18 am. Every single damn thing reminds him of Rachel. He had hoped that after he moved to LA the dreams, or rather nightmares of that night, would succumb, but it seems that they've only gotten worse ever since he left New York.

He's been staying in a hotel for the past couple of weeks that he's been here, being that he's been unable to find a place that screams "home." Thing is, he doubts he'll ever be able to consider LA his home either. Not with pain, sorrow, and guilt still permanent in his heart.

iii.

He sees the line for this new bakery and it's so freaking long. Seriously, who would want to wait an hour for desserts?

He debates whether or not he should come back another day, because it's not like he's leaving LA anytime soon. On the other hand, Santana keeps harasses him about it every single damn time they talk on the phone, so he figures he might as well try it now since it's his day off.

Everything looks so god damn good and oddly familiar. He orders one of each item out and decides to warm up with a pecan cookie. He takes a bite of it and spits it out because he would know that cookie recipe anywhere. It tastes just like the pecan cookies Rachel used to make, but only it's not. He can't put his finger on it, but something's missing. That's when it dawns on him. He finally looks up and takes in the decorations of the bakery since he was too distracted with the idea of food to do so beforehand. It screams Rachel. When he sees the logo of the bakery that exact moment of realization hits him. Finn Hudson just ate a cookie that tastes oddly like the ones his ex-fiancée made at a place called _Star Bakery_. Coincidence? He doesn't think so.

He demands that the workers there tell him who the owner of the bakery is. Apparently that information is confidential so he asks for the next best thing-the manager.

He swears he's dreaming when he sees the one and only Brittany S. Pierce come out of the kitchen with a pink apron on with her hair in a ponytail and a headband that looks like it belongs to a little girl.

"Hi I'm Brittany, manager of _Star Bakery_ how may I help you?"

"Brit, it's me!"

"Yes well all our products are vegan friendly, which is why they are not only delicious, but good for your body and society."

He smacks his hand to his forehead shaking his head. Knowing Brittany, she was probably trained to say all that stuff to whoever asks for her.

"Brittany, it's me, Finn Hudson, you know from high school."

"Every single review is highly valued and taken into consideration."

Looks like he has to bring out the big guns. "Hey, by any chance, do you know what FEK is?" Random but worth a shot.

"FEK, or Feline eosinophilic keratitis, is an immune-mediated inflammation of the cornea. "

He honestly didn't know what an FEK was until the other night when he was watching Animal Planet. Long Story. Anyways, he's making progress with Brittany, given that she switched out of manager mode into cat mode.

"Now, Brittany, do you remember you joined that high school game show with Artie?"

"Oh Artie! Did you know he and Sugar got married last year?" He doesn't, he hasn't been keeping in touch with the others, excluding Santana of course. Heck he's lucky if he even gets to talk to Kurt now that he and Blaine decided to travel the world.

"No actually I didn't. What about the others?"

"Well Mike and Tina are expecting their second child in June. Let's keep our finger's crossed that it's Asian just like the other one. Sam and Mercedes have the most adorable newborn. Puck's still touring with his band. Quinn's a pediatrician in Sacramento, we see her every couple months since she's only a couple hours away-"

"We? Who's we?"

"Me and Rachel of course." Bingo. Now he knows for sure that she's a part of this. Rachel, his Rachel. The same Rachel he's spent two years looking for, and ultimately had to let go, is here in LA.

"Now where was I? Right, so you of course know all about Santana. Who else?" She continues.

"Wait, hold up, you know about me and Santana?"

"Of course Finn. Santana and I still talk you know."

Well no wonder she hasn't been as depressed as he was. Then that must mean that Santana must have known that Rachel was here. That's why she recommended the bakery! If he didn't know any better, he'd say Santana was playing Cupid.

"Brittany, where is Rachel?"

"I wasn't finished! But now that you asked, she lives with me. In fact, she owns _Star Bakery_. All these recipes are hers."

He hesitates, "Can you take me to see her? Please." Her head tilts to the side a little, as if she's thinking whether or not this could end up good or bad. He's thinking the same thing, but he needs to see her if he ever wants to get closure.

"Fine. But just a little heads up, the Rachel Berry that owns this bakery is a different from the Rachel Berry you were engaged to."

"Noted."

iv.

Their condo is decorated in a resembling way that their, or rather his apartment back in New York was. He figures that if Rachel's décor is still the same, then she couldn't be that different from his Rachel.

"Rachel I'm home, and I umm… I have a surprise for you!"

He sees her come out of what he assumes to be her bedroom and he takes the sight of her in. She dresses the same way, her hair still dark brown but her bangs are styled more to the side. Her face, well it's still beautiful, but truth be told he didn't expect anything less. The only thing he can notice that changed is her eyes, they lost their spark, their soul. That bothers him a lot because he knows it's his fault, and he'd rather she'd change something different than her soul.

At the sight of him she drops the dozens of what he makes out to be flashcards on the floor. He can see panic, fear, and disbelief on her face. She grabs the mini whiteboard and marker on the kitchen table and scribbles something quickly before she shows it to them.

_?_

"Rachel, he went to bakery and asked about you. I couldn't say no! You and I both know that you need him, to help you with what you're going through, and I could tell he needs you too."

He's so confused. What exactly is Rachel going through? Could it be related to what happened two years ago? And why is she using a whiteboard? Does she hate him that much she can't speak in front of him?

He looks back at her and never has he seen her so scared. When his eyes met hers she shakes her head before retreating back to her room, closing the door and locking it.

He turns back to Brittany, looking for an explanation.

"We need to talk."

v.

"You remember that night in New York right?

Of course he remembers that night. That same night that lost him everything. The night he's been trying to forget but can never seem to.

_It was supposed to go off without a hitch. He promised her that she would be perfect out there. It just had to happen the night when the Broadway directors would be watching. The night that determined whether or not she was to be worthy of Broadway._

_He sat in the front row as always. Eagerly pointing to Rachel's picture in the playbill saying "that's my fiancée" to the random people sitting next to him._

_The moment the curtains went up all he could focus on was his the beautiful woman who was his. Her acting skills were amazing and the beginning of the show went by swimmingly. Everything was perfect, that is until it was time for Rachel's solo._

_She's been practicing nonstop, singing any chance she could. He should have known. Especially with what happened their sophomore year. He should have told her not to sing too much or else she would strain her voice, but he didn't. Now here she is, on one of the most important days of her life, with laryngitis. She ran off the stage halfway during her solo. He followed her out into the streets where she broke down crying harder than he'd ever seen her in her life. He doesn't blame her for doing so._

_He carried her back to their place, changed her out of her costume, and removed her smudged make-up. He held her close to him as possible and just let her cry. "It's over." She whispered._

"_Don't say that Rach. You don't know that. For all we know, you could still get another chance."_

_"Don't lie to me!" she yelled at him. He drew back a little, shocked and hurt. Rachel never yelled at him like that. "It's over." She whispered again._

_He guessed she meant more than her career because the next morning she was gone with only the ring he had placed on her ring finger placed eight years prior in her place._

"Well she came back to Lima, to her dads, to help her pay for the operation. Turns out that it wasn't as successful as they thought, because once she tried to sing again, she cracked. Since she couldn't sing, I guess she stopped talking. We became close during her stay in Lima, and we moved to LA together being that she needed someone to take care of her. She opened _Star Bakery_, but I'm the one who handles all the business, she mainly just stays at home."

"So you expect me to believe that she hasn't said a single word in two years?"

"That's right."

"Is that how she communicates with you? With the whiteboard?"

"Yeah, and you know those flashcards she was holding? They're her standard phrases of _Hello Brittany _or _How are you?_."

"That's crazy."

"I know it is, but were making it work. I don't think, however, that this is what is good for her. She misses you Finn. I catch her sometimes looking at her left hand, her ring finger to be precise. She needs you."

"It's all my fault, this should have never happened. She should be living her dream of being on Broadway! We could have been married by now…"

"You're right, it shouldn't have happened, but it did. Now instead of lingering on what you did wrong, think about what you can do to fix it."

All of people may think Brittany is just another dumb blond, heck he even thought that. But there's more to Brittany than most people know. Sometimes, she says the right words that a person just needs to hear. For her to stand by Rachel for two years, and to help her with the bakery is heartwarming. It's the same way Santana stood by him. Brittany is like the Santana to Rachel's Finn, if that makes sense.

"Brit, I have a very important question to ask you."

"And that is?"

"Would be alright if I moved in with you and Rachel?"

He takes her hug as a yes.

vi.

He moves in early the next morning. He takes the day off again, because he just wants his main focus to be on Rachel. Brittany left for work a half hour ago and according to her Rachel doesn't eat breakfast for another hour.

He cooks vegan French toast, because it was her favorite when they were living together. They made a deal, that if he cooked breakfast, she'd cook the other meals. Mainly because she knew that there was no way he would be able to cook an actual meal. Sure they had cereal and fruit more days than he would like to admit, but he always washed dishes and paid whenever they went out. He'd do anything for her really.

When she sees the French toast out on the dining table he could tell she knows that he made them. She looks around for him and jumps when he calls her from behind. She turns around and writes on her whiteboard.

_What are you doing here?_

"Oh! Silly me I forgot to introduce myself. Hi, my name is Finn Hudson, and I'm your new roommate." He jokes, sticking out his hand.

She starts to turn around and head back to her room but he grabs her arm. She still feels the same, he thinks, the spark that he felt whenever they touched.

"You're not going to let this all go to waste are you?" he asks, referring to the breakfast he made for her. He smirks because he knows he got her.

She slowly shakes her head defeated. He eats breakfast right across from her. He hasn't eaten breakfast with anyone since she left, and he hasn't cooked it since she left either. He's always made a big deal out of eating breakfast with Rachel, because to him eating breakfast with her meant that they spent both night and morning with each other, a luxury they hardly experienced until New York. He knows that's not the case here, but it's still nice to start your morning with the person who means so much to you.

_I take it Brit told you everything. _She writes.

He just nods and she nods back in reply.

He doesn't try to talk to her while they eat, because he knows his presence alone must be overwhelming to her. His heart does lighten up however when he sees her smile at the glass of soy milk he pours for her. He hasn't seen her smile in forever, and for a moment he forgets the situation they're in and just focuses on her smile. She's smiling because she remembers how the two of them used to joke that if she drank more milk she would grow taller and wouldn't look so short next to him. The fact that she remembers this and is smiling gives him hope, even if the life in her eyes is still gone.

She shows him a _thank you _card once she finishes and then proceeds back to her room while he washes dishes.

He doesn't see her for the rest of the day.

She must have taken food while he was in the shower and saved it for both lunch and dinner.

He tells Brittany this and they both agree that she just needs some time.

It's impossible to sleep on the couch, but once he finds his comfortable position he decides to just close his eyes and think. He does this a lot, think about her before he sleeps. It's hard to fall asleep though, the blanket Brittany gave him is way too short and his feet are freezing.

He's not sure if he's dreaming or not, but sometime during the night he hears the door open. He feels a blanket being placed on the lower part of his body, feet included. He thinks it may be an angel, but when he feels someone kneel next to his face, he knows it's his angel. He could just tell it's her, and he could feel her hesitation before her hand gently comes to caress his face. Now he knows it's her, because she used to do that to him every night when she thought he was asleep. Her gentle hand lightly stroking his face makes his whole body tingle and he has to try his best to make sure he could pass off as sleeping. After a few glorious moments, she leans down and kisses his forehead lightly before standing up and locking herself in her room. He touches the spot where she kissed him and he knows there's no way he could ever give up on her.

He wakes up the next morning and smiles when he sees a pink fluffy blanket covering his feet.

Even though he has to go to work today he still makes her breakfast and leaves her a little note just in case he got worried.

He doesn't really see her for the rest of the week.

But every night she continues her ritual of stroking his face and kissing his forehead.

For the first time in years, that presence of her alone makes him feel like he's home again.

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><p>AN: Well I hope you guys enjoyed part one of three in my new minific. I know Lea has been teasing us about her "white dress" but I preferred to write as if they kept a long-engagement in here for the plot's sake. Anyways, as stated by Miss Brittany S. Pierce herself (in my story) "Every single review is highly valued and taken into consideration." Thank you guys for your time and please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. The second part should be up hopefully in a couple of days and will show more development and have more explanations.<p> 


	2. Hope

AN: I just want to thank everyone for their response to this story and I hope you enjoy the second installment.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Glee or anything else I mention here.

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><p>vii.<p>

Life goes on. The day comes and goes, and he only has those few moments to treasure at night before that too fades, starting the daily cycle over yet again.

It isn't long before he yearns for more. He wants to see her again. The rare couple of minutes he has of encountering her at home don't suffice for him. He wants to see his Rachel Berry, both inside and out. He wants to fix whatever has been broken.

He figures that if they ever have a relationship like they did before, they at least have to be friends. He buys a cute little kitten for her on the one-month anniversary of _Star Bakery. _Ever since he moved in with Rachel and Brittany, he's been taking allergy medications to help survive with Lord Tubbyton (whom he's surprised is actually still alive). He knows Rachel always loved and secretly wanted a baby kitty, but had to sacrifice the idea of it for him. True love always comes with sacrifice and compromise, and he's just happy to at the thought of making her happy with it.

He initially planned on giving it to her in a wrapped box with holes like in _Lady and the Tramp,_ (except well with a kitten rather than a puppy) but he knows Rachel could consider that animal abuse. While she wouldn't lecture him on it like she would have before all this, she could still give him that look and based of that look alone he could practically hear her in his head going on and on about it. So he decides to just hand it to her with a yellow ribbon as a collar at _Star Bakery _during the party.

She's isolated at the corner of the bakery, just taking the scene around her. He wonders how long it's been since she actually went out, knowing fully well that Brittany had to force her to come here. As is she could feel his eyes on hers, she turns and looks straight at him. Hiding the kitten behind his back with one hand, he goes up to her, ignoring the way she tenses up at his approach.

"I got you a gift." He tells her, revealing his hand with the kitten on it. "I know you always wanted one, and I figured if I could live with one cat I could live with two. It's to, you know, keep you company and stuff, because I know you're probably lonely. I already cleared it with Brittany and signed the adoption papers so she's legally ours er- yours."

She makes no move to take it from it but just stares back and forth between him and the kitten.

"Come on Rach, she needs a home. She needs somebody to love her and take care of her." He hopes she realizes that he's not just taking about the kitten as he places it her hands. Her hands instantly move to stroke the kitten while it snuggles against her arms. He smiles as she places a little kiss at the top of its head.

She has tears in her eyes when she gives him a little smile. She momentarily puts the kitten down and to his surprise, she stands up and hugs him. His arms instantly wrap around hers, and he pulls her a tad bit closer, just to feel her. He reluctantly lets her go when she draws back, his hands lingering across her arms as he does so.

"So, do you have any idea what you are going to name her?" He asks, wondering if she was still planning to name all her pets after Broadway stars after what happened.

She takes a permanent marker and neatly writes on the yellow ribbon itself "Hope".

He likes to think that there's deeper meaning behind its name.

viii.

He comes home one night to the smell of something cooking in the kitchen. He quickly rushes over to the kitchen, knowing very well that it couldn't possibly be Brittany because she's at a party, and won't be home until early tomorrow morning. He surprised to see Rachel there, wearing an apron just like the ones at Star Bakery. She gives him a hesitant smile when she sees him and then continues to decorate the cake she was baking. He wonders for a moment why she's purposely not trying to avoid him like she had for the past two weeks, besides the party of course. Then he frowns when he remembers. Today is, or should have been, his father's birthday.

He lightens up for a moment when he realizes that Rachel actually remembers. It's always been tradition for the Hudson family to make a cake for his father whenever his birthday came around. He remembers how for a moment he hated the man his father was when his mother had finally told him the truth about his drug addiction. It was Rachel who helped him gain respect for his father again, and even though he doubts he'll ever look at his father the same way like he once did, he and Rachel made sure to carry that tradition into adulthood. Well up until two years ago, but he shakes those thoughts away and focuses on the fact that Rachel went out of her way to do this for him.

He just stands there and watches her. She's still an incredible baker that's for sure. Her tongue still sticks out a little while she does the precise details on the cake. She was always interested in cooking, and he's glad she hasn't given up on life completely.

When she's done she turns the cake to him so that he could get a better view.

_Happy Birthday Chris!_ is inscribed in her fancy loopy handwriting. She hands him a lighter and turns off the light as he lights the candles.

He doesn't sing, but rather he takes the moments of silence to think about his dad. No matter what happened in the past, he's dad is still his dad, and the fact the he loved his mom makes him a hero in his book. Closing his eyes, he takes a deep breath and blows out the candles, leaving the moonlight their only source of light.

He breaks down into tears, because he's never been afraid to cry in front of Rachel. He cries about a lot of things. He cries for the dad he never knew, he cries for his family he's been estranged from, he cries for her, because it's his fault that all this happened, and he cries for himself, just because he's just so lost.

He expects Rachel to go back to his room, to ignore him until he goes to sleep. But she doesn't. Instead she places herself in between his arms, facing the same direction as him, and holds his arms around her stomach. He pulls her body closer to his and he leans down to bury his face in her face and breathes in her scent and the feel of her. It's been so long since he's been this close to her, or anyone for that matter. She often told him that he was her weakness, but she was his strength.

He doesn't know how long they stayed like that, it could have been minutes, it could have been hours, but to him, it was eternity. He curses his grumbling stomach that takes them out of their little world. She leaves her rightful place between his arms to get them both a slice of cake.

One slice of cake turns into two then three until there's nothing but crumbs left. He knows he shouldn't be eating this much but its _Rachel's_ cake. It has that magic ingredient that was missing at the bakery. The whole time he was eating, she stayed with him eating her single slice of cake. When he finishes he takes her plate and clears up for her. She gives him an _alright then, good night_ gesture with her face that he returns with words.

"Hey Rach" he calls out before she could leave. "Thanks."

She only has time to give him a little nod before he tackles her with a proper hug that she returns. She presses her face against his chest and rubs his arms while he strokes her hair.

She smiles when they pull back and kisses him on the check before she goes back to her room.

He does this weird "yes" gesture after that to Hope, who just looks at him like he's crazy.

ix.

He sees a lot more of her after that. It's almost as if she isn't trying to hide from him anymore. Days turn into weeks, weeks turn months, and before he knows it, he's been in LA for four months. Four months learning the new things about her, four months of remembering the old, little things about her, four months of simply just being with her again.

He thanks god that he's still able to know what she's thinking, because even though she's not the same Rachel from before, she's still his Rachel. Her face still makes the same facial expressions like before, she still uses hand gestures when she's trying to convey emotions, she still crinkles her face whenever she hears someone off-tune on the television, and of course her smile. She smiles a lot more, and has a feeling he has something to do with that.

He tries to push her a little too. He forces her out of the house and takes her to _Toys R Us_ where he buys her a _Doodle Pro_ so that she doesn't have to keep using the whiteboard.

"Plus, you could get high off of _Expo_ _Markers_ babe, wouldn't want to risk that would you?" He catches his slip of tongue a little late. It's just that for a moment, he forgot that they weren't together, for a moment it was just Finn and Rachel just like they were before.

She doesn't seem to mind though, because she just smiles and grabs his hand on their way out.

She isn't afraid to become touch him anymore either. It took _time_ though, like how before whenever he popped in a movie she sat as far away as him as possible. Now she has him wrap his arms around her as she snuggles into his chest, just like they used to before all this happened, except now they have Hope.

She also begins to start kissing more of his face at night when she thinks he's sleeping too. Her kisses gradually before harder as she kisses his checks, nose, chin, but never does she kiss his mouth.

Time is what she needs, and he'll give her all the time in the world.

x.

Quinn comes to stay over the weekend and is shocked to see him. She gives him a questioning look and he shakes his head no, even though he isn't quite sure what it is exactly she's asking.

He somehow manages to convince Rachel to join the three of them to Disneyland, because what could be a better way to cheer her up than to go to the Happiest Place on Earth?

He mentally pats himself on the back when he sees her face when she sees the princesses. He takes her to get the autographs of Ariel, and does all the talking for her.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" she asks Rachel. "Did Ursula steal your voice? Well she took mine for a while, but do you know how I got it back? Well it was rough, but ultimately my Prince Eric came to save the day with the help of true love. Is this your prince?"

Rachel turns to him before smiling and giving a little nod.

"Well what are you waiting for? Come on then, go ahead and kiss the girl."

He licks his lips, oh boy did we want to, and by the looks of it, so did she. He begins to gently pull her chin up but just as she closes her eyes his phone rings and she pulls back.

"Dammit." He mutters because Quinn just called asking where they were going to meet up and he hates that even now she found a way to get in between the two of them even though this time it was unintentional.

She still isn't distant after that though. Their hands still meet at any given opportunity, and she often rests her head on his shoulder whenever they rest.

He holds her while they watch the fireworks and he's glad that they were able to put all the drama in high school behind them. He's holding her the same way he held her whenever they watched fireworks both in New York and Lima, it's always been her.

Rachel falls asleep on his lap on the car ride back and he strokes her hair because the fact that he's here with her is still surreal to him.

"You're good for her Finn." Quinn says from the passenger's seat. "I know I have doubted that in the past, but now, I have no reason to."

"Yeah" Brittany agrees. "This is the first time I've seen her actually happy since, well you know."

"What I love about the two of you is that, even when life becomes too cruel that you fall apart, you always find a way back to each other." Quinn says, as if she's trying to clear her head.

"Well we all have our paths in life; I guess I was meant to walk mine with her."

xi.

He feels really stupid, having them take him to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He should have known that seeing other people's names on stars would be hard on Rachel. Honestly he feels like the world's biggest idiot.

About ten feet after they parked she lost it, and with that look on her face alone he felt like all their progress went down the drain.

He hears her crying back at home. He knows he has to check on her and is relieved to find her door unlocked. He knows it's a huge invasion of privacy, but he climbs into bed with her and holds her, wiping the tears off her face. It's almost like Déjà vu, because he still has nightmares over this exact position that happened two years ago. Except this time, he isn't going to let her go. "I'm sorry Rach. I'm so sorry." She shakes her head and moves in closer to him, wrapping his arms tighter around him.

They fall asleep in each other's arms for the first time in two years and a half.

More importantly, she's still there, wrapped in his arms, when he wakes up.

xii.

She has him sleep next to her every night since.

He knows there's no greater feeling than to wake up next her. He's spent over a fourth of his lifetime waking up with Rachel in his arms and to be able to get that feeling back again is just overwhelming.

She fixes his tie for him every day that he has work and he _knows_ that this is how it should be.

Except she's still not talking.

He has a feeling that she can still talk because sometimes he sees her open her mouth but then shut it right away when she realizes what she's doing. Or like how the other day when he told her about this bizarre dream he had (he stopped having nightmares once he started sleeping next her again) and she giggled. Honestly, he thinks she's just scared and he doesn't blame her, but he has this gut feeling that maybe her voice isn't gone forever. Brittany told him that she hasn't heard any official doctor diagnosis regarding Rachel's condition, and he can't help but wonder if she's just choosing not to speak.

He decides that he will stop at nothing to at least try to make Rachel talk.

He knows he's just being selfish, but honestly he just misses the sound of her. He remembers that time in high school when he used to intentionally block out her voice. Now here he is, willing to do anything, everything, to hear her voice again.

With each day that passes, he makes some type of a goal to help her ease up to talking.

One day, he tries having a casual conversion about her. Back in what seemed like another lifetime ago, she always cut him off in the middle of his sentence as if she needed to speak or else the universe would be off-balanced. But the only things she gives him are short answered sentences written on her _Doodle Pro_.

Another day he takes her to the arcade, because he knows for a fact that Rachel Berry is competitive person, and she just can't help but to say _Suck It Hudson_ whenever she beats him at ski ball. But she doesn't say a thing. Instead she does a victory dance and he can't help to think that she's still so adorable. He tries to cheat at the other games too, because he knows Rachel always says something whenever he cheats. But she still doesn't say a thing; instead she whacks him in his stomach. He manages to win the jackpot at a game, and he spends all his tickets on a pink panda that he gives to Rachel. She thanks him with a kiss on a check.

It hits him one night. It's one of those nights when neither of them are sleeping and his arm is draped around her, their legs tangled up. "Hey Rach." He calls out quietly.

She turns around to face him, giving him a "_yeah_?" look. Her face is so tender, and she is looking at him when anticipation.

"How about we play a game?"

Immediately she becomes wide-eyed and shakes her head. He smirks. Before, when neither of them could sleep, they would play _The Tickling Challenge _where one would tickle the other and they would have a little contest to see who would last the longest.

"Too late." He says and he tickles her. He knows every single inch of her body. He knows where her most sensitive parts are, he knows how many moles she has on her face, he knows exactly how to touch her to get the perfect response, he knows _her_. He knows that she's a goner when he tickles her left hip. She tries to hold it back, but her body can't help but to give into his touch.

Her laughter is music to his ears.

As soon as she gains control she grabs his hands and rolls on top of him. She gives him a devilish grin because now it's her turn and his body is just as vulnerable to her as hers is to him. She laughs when she sees him jerk around at her ticklish touch of her hands.

They must have been louder than they thought, because suddenly the door bangs open with Brittany behind it. "I got you a present!" she winks at them, putting a new box of condoms on the nightstand next to them. "Just try to keep it down okay?"

"Wait Brit no, we're not having sex." He can't blame her for thinking that, not with Rachel right on top of him in an awkward position.

"Not yet." She says, and with that she leaves the room.

With the sound of the door closing Rachel laughs so hard it's almost hysterical.

"Typical Brittany." He mutters.

As her laughter dies down she doesn't get off of him but rather she places her head in the crook of his neck breathing him in and eventually the two of them fall asleep. Evidently, tickling can be a very tiring activity.

She begins laughs a lot more after that, and he's just happy to hear something recognizable coming out of her mouth. He knows he could live the rest of his life with the sound of her laughter alone, but he knows that if she's able to laugh, there's still a chance she'll start talking again.

xiii.

He's addicted to her laughs, he's addicted to her in general. He'll do anything to get his daily dose of Rachel, even if it means making him look like an idiot.

One day Brit gives them bad news about the bakery. Apparently with a new rival, Star Bakery needs something new, something fresh. He gets it, he is in business after all, so he volunteers to help.

Problem is, he doesn't know where to start. He doesn't want to change their logo, nor their décor because they're Rachel's. Rachel. It hits him. They don't need to change anything, they just need to add a couple things.

He suggests they add pastries to their menu, because so far all they have are baked goods, like cookies and cupcakes. But they need to do more than just add pastries, they need their own original signature pastry, one that's unique from the rest.

Rachel has a puzzled expression meaning that she doesn't know what to do. She can bake pastries like a boss, but she's never created a pastry from scratch.

He helps her taste each creation, they're okay, but they're not the one.

"It's like writing a song." He tells her. "It has to come from deep within. You have to put all your emotions into it."

She motions him to help her actually make the pastry, knowing fully well that the last time he tried to bake, he gave them both food poisoning. It wasn't his fault he got the sugar and salt confused.

He stands behind her, molding his hand over hers. They roll the dough as if they are one. It's quiet, letting their emotions pour into their creation and letting that speak for itself. It takes over the both of them as they subconsciously throw the pastry together and bake it.

He takes one and splits it in half, taking one and giving the other one to Rachel. They simultaneously take a bit out of it, tasting the emotion that is the two of them.

It is the combined creation of the two of them, a masterpiece.

So it's only fitting that the name of their new original pastry is 'Finchel'.

She laughs as he puts more into his mouth. He lifts her up onto the kitchen counter and they take turns taking a bite out of their pastry.

His heart stops when he finds a bit of barbarian cream on the corner of her mouth. He points it out to her and then proceeds to wipe it off with his thumb. It's almost as if he was that sixteen year old boy again. The look on her face tells him she feels the same.

Except this time, she doesn't give him permission to kiss her. He just does. He leans closer to her and she leans up until their lips meet. It's more than a peck, but not rough. It's delicate. He pulls back, and searches her face for any signs of regret. He mirrors her face when he sees her smile. This time, she leans forward and kisses him. Her arms wrap around his neck as she tries to pull him closer. They draw back a couple times for air before resuming their task, with each one becoming more passionate than the last.

By the time their lips get numb, they momentarily stop kissing and rest on each other's forehead. She rubs her nose against his while he holds her.

He took her kisses for granted too. They used to kiss all the time in high school and the time after Now that he's spent over two years without them he savors this moment, he savors her kisses, he savors her.

They finally kiss goodnight that night after a long make-out session on the bed.

From then on, they kiss a lot again. She kisses him before he leaves for work. He kisses her when he comes home from work. They kiss when it's just two of them on the couch, with Hope nestled on their laps. They kiss in front of Brittany too, who just squeals. They kiss when they're bored, or when they catch one staring at the other.

Since that day, every night, when he thinks that she's sleeping, he tells her that he loves her. He does, always has, and never will stop. He's just waiting, waiting for her, and he'll wait forever if he has too.

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><p>AN: Only one more part left! Don't worry, there's still much more to be revealed in the last part. Thank you guys once again and please review! :)<p> 


	3. Doctors

_AN: It's took longer to update this than I had planned, you know how life is. Anyways, I thank you all for the response to this story._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or anything else I mention in here._

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><p>ix.<p>

The 'Finchel' pastry was a huge hit and business starts to boom higher than before. It comes to the point where Brittany actually has to leave town to help promote it, leaving the house to just him and her for a couple a days.

He's still not sure what to call their relationship. It's not that he doesn't want to label it; it's just that he wants to know that she feels that same way as he does. So he figures that the only way to really know is by taking her out on a date.

He doesn't want to ask her straight up, because that isn't romantic or cute at all. No, Rachel deserves to be asked out in a special way, especially since it's their first "official" date in two-and-a-half years.

He wakes up extra early to set up. He has it all pictured in his mind, Hope's going to be his private assistant, she'll wear a "follow me" sign and wait outside Rachel's bedroom until she wakes up. Then, Hope will lead her to kitchen, where he'll be waiting with flowers and two 'Finchel' pastries, one that has "yes" written on it with chocolate icing, and another with "no", which he'll intentionally burn. Then, when she's all confused as to what all of that's for, he'll give her a fancy speech, then he'll ask her out. It's going to be perfect, a much better invitation then texting (therefore pretty much forcing her to come) back during their junior year for their "work" date. He wonders how he's going to top their actual date, but he'll cross that bridge when he gets there.

His heart stops when he hears the door open. No. Rachel doesn't get up for another hour. There's no way that could be her. But he knows there's no way that could be Lord Tubbington. Shit. Okay, maybe if he could distract her. He grabs Lord Tubbington and covers him with chocolate; that should leave Rachel busy for at least thirty minutes. He ushers the cat out to where Rachel is with Hope. He sighs in relief, but his moment of relief becomes short lived when he hears the sound of the open. Oh no. With all the chaos going on, he totally forgot that the pastries where supposed to be taken out five minutes earlier than the set time. He quickly grabs an oven mitt, and just as he pulls it he out, he hears the sound of glass breaking, causing him to drop the dangerously hot pan on his foot.

"Fuck!"

He jumps from the pain, then limps over to the freezer to get some ice for his burning foot. When he turns around he sees a panicked Rachel, holding a bleeding Hope, and a no longer chocolate covered Lord Tubbington right behind her.

"What the hell happened Rachel?"

Her eyes grow angry and wide. With her free hand, she points angrily at him, then to the chocolate, then to Lord Tubbington, then to the living room, then to Hope.

"What? I don't understand!"

She exhales angrily, the pushes him out the door, grabbing his car keys and her _Doodle Pro_ along the way.

By the time they're both in the car with the two cats, he asks her "Where in the world are we going?"

She starts crying as she writes: _To the animal hospital! How could you not know that chocolate is toxic to animals? Lord Tubbington is as good as dying right now since he licked the chocolate off of him. When I tried to clean him, he hissed at me, which caused the vase to break and the glass cut into Hope's skin. So now not only is my baby bleeding to death, but if Lord Tubbington dies, Brittany is going to kill the both of us!_

Fuck, fuck, fuck. How did he manage to blow everything up? Any idiot with know that you're supposed to give chocolate to pets. Brit can't get to mad at them right? Not when she's the one that wanted that cat to poop out candy bars. Who is he kidding? They have to get to the animal hospital stat. Even though his foot feels like hell, he drives way past the speeding limit, wishing that Hope doesn't die either.

She's crying rivers as he sits down next to him after checking the two in. He wonders for a moment if she's still mad at him before he takes her in his arms to console her.

"I'm so sorry Rach. I'm worried too." He tells her, gently wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Mr. Hudson?" a man, whom he assumes is the vet, asks about an hour later.

"Yes Doctor?" he replies, standing up.

"I am happy to report that Lord Tubbington is okay. We had to give him a small amount of hydrogen peroxide to help induce vomiting. However, if he continues to vomit, call us immediately. Now as for Hope, I was very concerned about. You see if the glass were to have hit her vain, she would have been a goner. Luckily, the cuts were very minor and did no internal damage. She is currently being bandaged up to hold in the antibiotic ointment we applied now that her bleeding has stopped. The two of them should be out in a couple of minutes."

"Thank you doctor." He says as he gives Rachel a tight hug, who is still crying, but now out of relief. The moment she saw Hope, she literally yanked her off the nurse and peppered her with kisses. He of course was ecstatic that the two of them very fine, although he was bummed out that his plan turned into deep shit.

Once they return home, Rachel immediately massages his foot with relieving cream and even kisses it when she's done. She then leads him to the kitchen, where everything is still a huge mess, and gestures for an explanation.

"I was baking." He says, not wanting to reveal what his intentions were. That answer doesn't satisfy her as she points to the flowers.

"Okay fine. I…" he stops, deciding to show her rather than tell her. He picks up the two burned pastries off the floor, and places them on a plate. Taking the icing with his right hand, he writes as neatly as he can "yes" on one pastry and "no" on the other one.

So maybe this isn't how he pictured it all to be. Life never goes as planned, that much as always been clear. So what if this isn't the most romantic way to be asked out on a date? The _how_ doesn't matter as much as the _why._

"Rach," he starts, taking both her hands in his, "I… You…" he hesitates for a moment on what to say. "Will you go on a date with me? Like a proper date. I know we go places together, like just the two of us, but I want to take you on a real date, because you deserve to. So what do you say? Yes?" he asks, removing his hands from hers as he picks up the "yes" pastry, "Or no?" he asks, holding the 'no' pastry in the other hand.

He watches her intently, looking back and forth between the two. He's terrified, knowing fully well that this could very much ruin their current relationship. He heart drops as she picks up both pastries and throws them in the trash can. He watches her pluck the petals of the flowers too, and that's when he knows that doesn't want to be with him like the way he had hoped. Whatever went on between them in the last few months meant nothing to her.

He leaves the kitchen, because he can't bear to see her. He sits down with Hope on the couch, finding consolation stroking her bandaged fur.

"Whatever happens between Mommy and Daddy, just remember that we both love you, okay?"

He hears someone laughing behind them, and wonders why Rachel has to make him feel worse than he already does. Apparently, this whole thing is _funny_ to her. He ignores her as she walks up to him, instead looking down at Hope. She of course, just has to kneel right in front of him and pull his face up so that they're looking at each other, eye to eye.

She's still smiling as she forces him up and stands behind him, covering his eyes with her hands.

"What are you doing?" he asks bitterly, but makes no attempt to stop her. She answers with another giggle.

They stop and he knows they're in the kitchen based off the scent of the flowers that she plucked. Did she want to show him how she destroyed the flowers he meant for her?

When she releases her hands off his eyes he glares for a moment at the empty flower stems, but the moment he sees what she did with the petals his heart stops.

There, perfectly arranged on the kitchen island, are the flower petals forming her answer: _of course_

"Of course?" he asks.

She picks up her _Doodle Pro_ and writes._ Of course I'll go on a date with you! What did you think I was going to say? No? Finn, when did I ever tell you no? I don't think that's in my dictionary of words to say to you. _

"But you threw away the 'yes' pastry!

_Finn, you picked those off of the floor! No way am I going to eat something covered in germs and bacteria. As for the flowers? I thought it was a more romantic way to ask you! Besides, the petals could have one more than one purpose..._

It only takes him a couple of seconds to realize what Rachel meant by "more than one purpose". Smirking, he lifts her off of the floor, and places her right on top of the petals. She laughs as he climbs right on top of her.

"So you really want to go on a date with me?" he asks one more time, his face an inch away from hers.

She answers him with a longing kiss that he returns back. The way she's kissing him alone makes him forget all those worries and doubts. She kisses him with such passion, that he knows that this is real.

These kisses are different than the ones that they shared since the first time he kissed here in the kitchen. They're much more intense, yet still so genuine. It's not only their lips they kiss, they kiss each other all over. He doesn't try to push her to go further though, because he knows she not ready and honestly neither is he. He wants to wait until after their date, because that's when he'll finally tell her that he loves her. For now, he's more than happy to be able to kiss her.

x.

"Mommy and I are going out on a date tonight, so I want you and Lord Tubbington on your best behavior, okay?" He tells Hope, who's just playing with her yarn of ball.

He hasn't seen Rachel all day, giving her time and space to get ready for their date. He's already dressed in his tux, and is just dying to see Rachel.

Seven o'clock on the dot she clears her throat. He turns around and drops his jaw at the sight of her. She's wearing a light beige short dress with a thin ruffle around her chest, perfectly commenting her cleavage, and a little bow to the side. Her hair was curled and down, and her makeup was perfectly applied.

He made a promise to her, the night before, that if she couldn't talk the entire date, then neither would he. That meant no forms of written or technical communication either. He hates that he can't even tell how beautiful she looks. So he tries to tell her by kissing her, sweetly, but not too much or else they'll end up staying there the whole night.

He takes her out to the beach. They never really had time to go to one back in New York, and the closet thing they have to a beach in Ohio was a lake. Being in business means you have connections, people who you can get to reserve an entire side of a beach for a date.

She takes his arm as they walk barefoot side-by-side along the shore, with the waves moving back and forth between their feet. Maybe wearing a tux wasn't such a good idea.

She looks tenderly at him when she sees the picnic blanket that he set up for tonight. Back in Ohio, they used to do this all the time right by the lake. Now, here by the ocean, where the moon and the stars shine brighter than ever.

After they have a toast with the airplane cups he finally found, they have a nice vegan dinner to the sound of _Faithfully _being played by a string quartet that he hired for this purpose alone.

He gets worried when she starts shivering. She didn't bring a coat and he didn't know it was going to be this cold out here. So he takes off his black tux and gives it to her, still having his white long sleeve to keep warm.

With their stomachs now filled and the quartet gone, it's just her and him, laying in each other's arms watching the night sky. He listens to her breathe in and out, and he knows that this is where he belongs, with her. Within time, they find themselves just staring at each other. She's never stared at him like this before, and he's never looked at her like that before neither. Suddenly, something overcomes him, and he knows she feels it too when her lips attack his.

They both can't hold it any longer. This is it, they're both ready, he could feel it. He starts to remove her clothes and she does the same with his. They're moments away from going all the way when she stops, only to rummage through bag to obtain the box of condoms Brittany gave them. It's as if Rachel knew they would be doing this.

As they make love, he tears up a little bit. He's reconnected with her, and being with her like this, means everything to him. He treasures the moans she makes, making some of his own as well. The emotions as quick to overcome the both of him.

He so in love with her. Everything she does, everything she is. So while they're cuddling he breaks his promise. "I love you."

She doesn't do anything in reply.

xi.

She gets a fever from the beach.

Mentally punching himself, he does everything to take care of her.

When she's still sick three days later, he takes her to the doctor.

He holds her hand the entire time, feeling her squeeze all the blood out of him as the doctor examines her mouth.

"Is this your boyfriend?" the doctor asks.

It's funny how they always find themselves in this scenario. With her being examined by the doctor, him standing next to her. He still isn't sure what to call them. Being someone's boyfriend is a downgrade from being someone's fiancé, and they've only been on that one date.

"She's my better half." He tells him, because that much as always been true from the beginning.

The doctor has her wait outside and tells him about her condition.

"She does have a pretty high fever, but the medicine I prescribed should take care of that. Have her take it every 8 hours with food."

"What about her throat Doc?"

"Her throat? Well I don't see anything wrong with her throat."

"B-B-But sir..." He starts, now confused. "She had throat surgery years ago, something must have gone wrong because she doesn't talk anymore."

"Well I can assure you that based on what I just saw, nothing is wrong with her throat or her voice box."

"No no no, she tried singing again but her voice, it cracked."

"Mr. Hudson, people's voice crack all the time. That doesn't mean something's wrong with their voice. It is actually common for people's voice to be a little scratchy after surgery. Now, that fact that she hasn't been talking for a few years worries me. I'm afraid that she might be under a state of depression."

It all goes back to that night. He wishes he had a time machine, to stop her from straining her voice before her performance. The incident must have taken a harder toll on her than he thought. So even if Rachel can still talk, something's holding her back, preventing her from doing so. He wonders for a moment if she's still holding on to that night like he is. Most of all, he wonders how they're going to let it go.

xii.

He can't look at her without feeling guilty now. He's always blamed himself for that night. He often told himself that he could have prevented Rachel from straining her voice. Now he's telling himself he could have prevented her from becoming depressed.

But as he holds her in his arms, given that she's fever-free, he thinks about they're life right now. Sure it wasn't the way they planned it, but he's finally found happiness again in the only place he could ever find it-with her.

"Are you happy Rachel? Right now I mean. Can you honestly tell me that you're happy?" He needs to know, because all he ever wants is for her to be happy.

She turns around and faces him. She holds her hand against his cheek and looks at him the same way she always has, voice or no voice. She nods and kisses him, rolling on top of him in the process, tugging at the hem of his shirt. As they make love, he knows she's happy too.

Still, Rachel doesn't deserve to be living like this. Singing is a part of who she is, and he promised her that he would help her get back on track if ever she lost her way.

So he takes her to a physiologist. The doctor has her do some strange activities that don't involve any talking. He can tell Rachel is getting frustrated with the doctor, being that she didn't believe him when he said that her not talking was just a mental thing.

Once again Rachel has to wait outside while the doctor gives him her analyzes.

"You have one very stubborn lady Mr. Hudson. In fact, she's so stubborn that she believes that everything she does must be perfect, and if she does something badly, then she gives up on it. You can see how this affects her not only as a singer, but as a person. I've been wondering, what has been causing her to hold back? Then it I realized it wasn't something, but rather someone. I'm afraid, Mr. Hudson, that you are a major cause of this."

"Me? What are you saying? That I'm the reason she stopped talking? I know I could have done something but I…"

"It isn't the fact that she got laryngitis that's holding her back. The way I see it, you supporting her not talking only encourages her more. She thinks that it's okay not to talk. Thus, if this continues, her silence will only become a part of her."

"But we've been making progress! She laughs now, she smiles now…"

"But she still isn't talking, and she won't-unless you're not there."

"I don't understand."

"Before she can love you, she has to learn to love herself and accept herself. Only then can she come to terms to what happened it the past."

"What are you saying Doctor?"

"If you really want to Rachel to talk again, you're going to have to leave her."

"I don't know if I can do that though, I don't think I can be apart from her again."

"You know how the saying goes. If you really loved her, then you'll set her free."

Just when life feels like it's finally getting back on track it comes right back to bite him in the butt. Leaving her has got to be the hardest thing life as ever made him do.

xiii.

He wonders if he should wait, and spend at least one more night with her. But he knows that longer he waits, he less strength he'll have to let her go.

He drops her off at home and goes straight to his work. Since he's sort of top boss around there they have to give him whatever he wants, even if it's his job back in New York.

He calls Brittany and tells her what the doctor told him and that he's leaving. She calls both him and the doctor stupid. How he wishes Brit was right.

He finds Rachel on the bed writing what he makes out to be letters. She obviously didn't expect him to come home that early and immediately hid whatever she was doing the moment she saw him.

She runs up to him and kisses him like she does whenever he comes home, only this time he doesn't kiss back. He ignores her sad expression, and doesn't hug her back when her arms wrap around him. He's so tempted to give in and kiss her senseless while holding her forever. But he loves her too much.

She stands off to the side as he packs up his belongings. Once she realizes what he's doing she picks up her _Doodle Pro_ and writes: _What are you doing Finn? What's wrong?_

He doesn't respond to this or any of her gestures. Finally he zips his luggage up and heads towards the door, meaning to leave with no explanation.

That is until Rachel, with tears in her eyes, blocks him, grabs his arm, and mouths to him _why?_

That's the closest she's ever gotten actually saying a word. He wonders for a moment, if it was as hard for her to leave him as it was for him to leave her. He hates for her to feel what he went through when she left him, so he'll give her some sort of reason to say the least.

"I can't do this anymore Rachel. I can't look with you, knowing that I'm reason why you're not talking. I can't be with you, knowing that you don't feel the same way I do. I told you I loved you Rachel, I always have, and I'll always will, but Rachel, I need to know, with words, what exactly are we? All I need, is a reason to stay, a reason why we did what we did, a reason why you look at me the way you do."

He waits for a moment, for her to say something. But as her grip on his arms weakens, he using all the strength he has to walk away from the only woman he could ever love.

What he didn't know is that as soon as he left, the woman he loved broke into hysteric tears, gives him her answer, saying the first words she's ever said in two-a-half-years, _"Because I love you."_

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><p><em>I know I said that this would be the last chapter, but it isn't. There should be at least one more. I'd really appreciate feedback of any sort, especially since we're heading towards the end. Endings are usually the hardest thing for me to write.<em>

_Oh a bit random, coming from a former violinist, I just had to include Journey's "Faithfully" on a string quartet, especially with Regionals so soon!_

_Just so you know, my knowledge in the medical field is limited. I tend to write based on what the plot line needs _so I apologize for any inaccurate information.__


	4. More Than Words

AN: I present to you the final installment of this story.

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><p>xiv.<p>

Santana slaps him when he returns to New York. He doesn't blame her.

He's life's a mess again. It's like nothing has changed, as if his time with Rachel was just a dream, and now he's awake in the real world-back to life, back to reality.

He sleeps on Santana's couch while he's looking for a new place to stay. He accepted the fact that he'll probably never have "home" again and just live alone for the rest of his life.

He's tempted to ask Santana about Rachel, given that she and Brittany always talk. But she'll probably just slap him again. Maybe it's better like this, not knowing, because that allows him to think of a world where Rachel miraculously starts talking and they live happily ever after. It gives him some sort of hope.

He misses Hope too, and wonders how the little kitty is doing without a father. He hates the thought of abandoning both her and Rachel, even though he did it for the best.

He never spends a day without thinking about her.

One day he gets a letter in the mail at his new apartment. The moment he saw the loopy handwriting he knew it was from her.

He opens the letter delicately, treasuring the fact that his Rachel sent him something. To his surprise it's more than one letter, each are short and written consecutively after the other.

_Dear Finn, _

_I am so sorry for leaving you without an explanation, but I just couldn't bear it. Telling you would make the separation more real, and with one look at your face I know I'll falter. Even more so, I am sorry for failing you. You put all your faith in me and supported me from the beginning. You've always called me a star, and I let you down. Our entire future, our dreams, all depended on tonight, and I ruined it for us. It wasn't the faces of the audience that hurt me the most tonight, it was yours. You still looked at me with so much love, and I wondered why? I don't deserve you. My voice is broken and needs to be repaired. I guess I'm more afraid of the aftermath. If only faith would be so kind, then I'll go back to you in a heartbeat._

_Love, Rachel_

_PS. I know the chances of me sending this is slim, but I want you to know that I'll never stop loving you._

He's confused for a moment, not quite comprehending what it is she wrote him. Then he realizes that this was written on that night. How could she think that she was the one that let him down? All this time, he's been blaming himself, when there she was doing the same. He thought they were stronger than this, that nothing could tear them apart. But that life, a life with her on stage, was all they knew. So when they both thought it was the end of that, they both took it to heart. But just the fact that they were able to connect again, without those dreams, makes him believe that maybe, just maybe they were even stronger than he'd once believed. If only for a second.

The rest of the collection tells about her life in Lima and ends right before her surgery. A couple days later, he gets another batch of letters, this time ranging from the day her voice cracked to the day she moved to LA. He wonders for a moment, why is she sending him this? But after a few more days of getting more batches of short letters during their time apart that he realizes that these letters, are her way of answering the questions that have been on his mind since that night. Slowly, with each letter, the pieces are coming together. He learns more about her side of the story, what she went through, how she changed.

One day he gets a batch that seem all too familiar yet another lifetime ago.

_Dear Finn,_

_My nightmares finally came true today. You found me, and never in a million years did I want you to see me this way. Right now, I feel more of a loser than I had ever felt in high school, because at least I had my voice back then. Something in you irks me, it's almost like you changed as well. It's your eyes; they seem as though they are lost in the endless world of emptiness. I guess that makes two of us. Do yourself a favor Finn, let me go. Maybe if you do, you wouldn't be so lost._

_Rachel_

_Dear Finn,_

_You moved in today. You've always been so determined to get what you want, it's one of the things we had in common. You always know what buttons to press too. For some reason, I can't keep my guard up from you. I know it's wrong for me to still have that longing for you, especially when I know that you can't love me back._

_Rachel_

She keeps this attitude up for a couple more batches, and his heart breaks once more for her. However, slowly, the letters become more hopeful. She writes about Hope, his dad's cake, and more about their developing relationship. With each ongoing letter, he catches a glimpse of his Rachel.

_Dear Finn,_

_You told me you loved me after we made love on our date. Everything was perfect, but it wasn't the beach that made it perfect, nor the airplane cups. It wasn't even the beautiful sound of "Faithfully" that made this night the most perfect night of my life. It was the fact that I shared it with you, the fact that we connected in the most intimate way possible. For so long, I never thought that this was possible again. I had thought that, the moment I lost my voice, you wouldn't love me again. I couldn't have been more wrong. It was stupid of me, because these past months alone prove that we can make it. Actions have always spoken louder than words, because it is through our actions that we become the person we are. Sometimes, words don't mean a thing. I wanted to tell you that I loved you back so badly. The words were on the tip of my tongue, so close to coming out, but I just couldn't do it. Everything was so perfect Finn, too perfect to be true. _

_Rachel_

To his surprise, the next letter has literally only one of her letters in it. However, it is divided into two parts, the first one being crossed off with an x, but still legible.

_Dear Finn,_

_I guess the secret is out, I am a selective mute. There are a lot of things I don't know. I don't know why Barbra isn't worshiped as much as she should be. I don't know why New York uses horses as means of transportation. One of the things I do know is fear, and I let that consume me. I tasted failure before, and I was so afraid of failing again, that I stopped trying. The thing is, when I'm with you, I'm don't see a reason to be afraid anymore._

It dawns on him that this must be what Rachel must have been writing, that day when he left. She's obviously never had the intention of showing him this, all of these letters, until now. Despite the fact that the second part of the letter isn't cross out, it's even harder to read due to the fact that it's covered in tears.

_Heartbreaks never get easier the fourth time around do they? Brit called and told me why you left. Let me tell you something, the doctor doesn't know shit. Who the hell is she to tell me what's good for me and what isn't. She doesn't know me Finn, she doesn't know us, and no damn degree can explain how I feel about you. You always hated thinking that you would be holding me back, but did it ever occur to you that maybe you were pushing me forward? You wanted a reason to stay, so I'll give you one. Until you came again, I had lost hope, but you, you made me believe again, and now you're gone._

_Rachel_

He hates thinking that leaving only made things worse but honestly he can't help but question it. He knows he did the right thing though, because if he never left, she would have never sent these to him and come in terms with what happened. In a way, these letters where her therapeutic medication. And sending them to him means that she _wants_ to share these things with him, she's getting back on her feet again.

xv.

He comes home on day to a messy apartment. All his drawers were opened and rummaged through, all his clothes were on the ground, yet oddly enough, nothing important seemed to have been stolen.

Suddenly someone comes out of nowhere and blindfolds him. He'd know that grip anywhere. It was Santana.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"Look fetus-face I'm not kidnapping you, if I were, then you'd be unconscious by now. Now get in the van."

His first instinct is that he's going to die. Obviously getting in van blindfolded against your will isn't exactly reassuring. He figures that if he's going to die, he at least wants to see Rachel one last time. However, as soon as he gets into the van, he smells it. It smells good, like _baked_ goods.

"Where are we going?" he asks.

"You'll see."

He lets Santana lead him out of the van and along the cemented pavement. He asks Santana about the loud crowd that's surrounding him but she just ignores him.

When they finally stop walking, he rips off his blindfold. The first thing that catches his eye is the large banner:

_Star Bakery  
><em>_Grand Opening in NYC_

His heart stops, and the whole thing is just overwhelming. As soon as the realization hits him, he looks for her in the crowd. She's not there. He spots Brittany inside the bakery, he runs inside, ignoring the line and the people who yell at him.

Brittany smiles and greets him when she sees him and all he can say is "Where's Rachel?"

Her smile fades. "She couldn't make it. She said she couldn't handle being in New York again."

"Oh." He says, trying to hide the sound of his lost hope as his heart shatters into million pieces. He didn't even consider the fact that maybe Rachel _didn't_ want him to come running back to her. Maybe this time, truly was the last. "So uh, why New York? Why'd did you open up another bakery _here_?"

"It's obvious isn't it?" Santana answers out of now where, taking Brittany's hand and lacing it with her own.

"Oh, right. I'm really happy for you." He tells them, despite the how jealous he is by the fact that they will probably get their 'happily ever after' and he won't.

"Come, sit down and have a pastry. It's on us." Brittany tells him, and leads him to a chair.

"Thanks." He mutters as she places a Finchel Pastry in front of him. He almost doesn't want to eat, because that would only remind him even more of what he had, and more importantly, what he lost. Suddenly, the whole bakery is staring at him. Not wanting to be rude, he slowly takes a bite.

It doesn't taste like the Finchel pastry that the bakery usually makes. It tastes _different_. It tastes exactly like the one he and Rachel made on the night of its creation. It has that emotion, that passion, that _love_ in it. _Rachel_ made this pastry. He takes another bite, to get that feeling again. His third bite is different. As he takes a bite, his teeth grab something hard. He carefully takes the solid out of his mouth and cleans the cream of it with his napkin. It's a ring. He heart thumps as he focuses in more on it. It has a heart-shaped diamond in channel setting with six smaller round diamonds. He knows that description by heart, and would know that ring anywhere. _It's Rachel's engagement ring._

He draws his attention away from the ring when he starts sneezing. Feeling something rub against his leg, he looks down and sees Hope. He immediately picks her up and gives her a kiss on the nose, even though he makes him sneeze again. Hope's collar draws his attention right away. She's wearing a yellow ribbon again. She hasn't worn one since he and Rachel bought her a proper one way too long ago. There's something written on the collar, something too long to be Hope's name. He turns his head a little to better read what is inscribed on it.

_Will you marry me?_

He suddenly feels her presence. It's a feeling that goes with being tethered to someone, you always can feel them. He looks up and sees her standing across the table. He gently places Hope down, and slowly walks over to Rachel.

"Hi." He says when he's only a couple steps away from her. She smiles, and bites her lips. "So I, umm… god Rach, there's so much I want to say…"

She cuts him off right there with her lips on his. He gladly kisses her back, pulling her in closer. All the things that he needed to tell her are being said right then and there, with his lips on hers.

He would have kissed her all day if Santana hadn't shouted "horrifying" once their kisses started getting more 'out there'. He momentarily pulled away to glance over at Santana, who was smiling at them. "What are you waiting for? Put a ring on it! I didn't go through all that effort of stealing the ring from Finn's sock dresser for it to just sit on the table while you too make out."

Taking the off the table, after wiping it a few more times of course, he took her hands and rubbed his thumbs against them. He met her eyes, her two dark brown soulful eyes, the eyes so different from the first time he saw them again after the incident. Ever so gently, he took her left hand, and placed the ring back into its rightful place. He then picked up her and spun her around before crashing his lips on hers.

"I'd hate to break up this whole romantic scene, but if we don't hurry up, we're going to be late." Santana said again.

"Late for what?" He said between kisses, still not getting enough of his fiancée.

"Your wedding."

xvi.

It wasn't exactly a wedding, but they did get married inside the courthouse, right after they bought their wedding rings at Zales.

He wore a simple tux while she wore a simple white dress. The whole thing was short and sweet.

He had to admit he was worried, the fact that they were marrying less than an hour after they got engaged was exactly logical. Plus, they're families would kill them if they knew they had eloped with only Santana and Brittany as their witnesses. But truthfully, he didn't think he could wait another day not being married to Rachel.

He doesn't remember the exact words the Justice of the Peace was saying, because all he could focus on was Rachel. Before he knows it, he's sliding another ring on her finger and says "I do."

When it came to Rachel's turn, she too slid a ring on his left hand. Just when he was about to say 'she does' for her (she would have nodded and signed the thing anyways), the most beautiful voice spoke instead. "I do."

While Brittany squealed and Santana gasped, he did what he was then told to do. He kissed her. He kissed her like he never kissed her before, because along with tenderness, love, and power, there was the promise of forever in that kiss.

"I love you." She said as they broke apart.

"I love you too Rach. Now and forever."

xvii.

Not only did they consummate their marriage that night, but they christened every single surface of _their_ home.

They talked too. They said what needed to be said, and what should have been said. Despite of what happened, they promised to make communication an important part of their relationship again. Even though there are some things that are given, it's always reassuring to say the obvious. Like how beautiful she is, or how proud she is of him.

She tells him how she's still afraid to sing. He lets her know that it's okay if she never does sing again. He remembers that time during their sophomore year again, when he showed her that everything would be okay if something were to happen to her voice. He isn't like Jesse St Jackass, who was only with her for her voice (and other drama). He'll admit, he does love her singing voice. It was one of the things that first drawn him to her. But it's there's more the love than just her voice. He loves _her_, not just one part of her, but everything that comes with it. He just wants her to know that.

Instead, she asks him to sing for her. It's been a while since he's sung too, but he'll sing for her anytime.

_Saying "I love you" / Is not the words I want to hear from you / It's not that I want you/ Not to say, but if you only knew / how easy / It would be to show me how you feel _

It's a bit ironic, his song choice. It wasn't too long ago that he was pushing her to talk, now here he is, singing to her how she should do something more than just tell him how much she loves him. His pretty sure hearing those words from her are is one of the best things in life.

_More than words / Is all you have to do to make it real / Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me / 'Cause I'd already know_

_What would you do if my heart was torn in two / More than words to show you feel _/ _That your love for me is real_

_What would you say if I took those words away / Then you couldn't make things new / Just by saying "I love you"_

He just wants her to know that he _knows_ how much she loves him. He's always known, and he's a fool to ever doubt that. Words or no words, voice or no voice, he knows.

xviii.

On their four-month-anniversary, he takes her out to Sardis.

Things in New York are finally getting into shape. Rachel and Brittany officially moved out of LA, leaving the _Star Bakery_ there in the hands of a trusted employee while still checking in from time to time.

It's a bit hard, taking her to the birthplace of the Tony awards. He wonders if he made a mistake by taking her there, but she was the one who suggested in the first place.

She's made some progress too. She decided that just because her career didn't turn out the way she had planned, doesn't mean that she should stop loving Broadway. In fact, last month, he took her to _Rock of Ages_. Still, she hasn't made any attempts to sing, but he understands that. All he wants, is to be the supportive husband she needs.

He loves referring to her as his wife. He loves having Rachel be called 'Mrs. Hudson.' He just loves being married.

He's caressing her rings (something he does often) when he notices Rachel's a little down.

"Hey," he starts, placing his hand on her cheek. "What's wrong?"

She sighs as she leans her face into the comfort of his hand. "It's nothing Finn."

"You and I both know that isn't the truth. Come on, tell me."

"It's just that, do you remember the first time we came here?"

"Of course I do. I don't think I could ever forget."

"Do you remember what you said to me?"

"Yeah." He chuckled. "I told you how pretty you looked."

"No, after that. Finn, you told me how you liked how I dreamed so big, and how you didn't know how to."

"I still don't, but that's what I got you for. _You_ are my dream, you let me be _me_. A life without you Rach, is not a life worth living."

"That's really sweet Finn, but do you remember what happened next? Patti, _the_ Ms. Lupone, came up and talked to us. She specifically told me to _'never give up'_. I don't know… I just… I just feel like I did."

"Hey, baby don't cry." He said as his hand began wiping the tears that were emerging. "It'll be okay. You've come a long since that night. It's just like a race you know? When you fall, you have to get back up. But you can't just expect to be sprint right away; you gotta ease up into it. Then, when you're ready, then you can sprint past the finish line."

"Do you think, that I can still shine? Even after what happened?"

"That's the thing about stars. Sometimes it gets too cloudy, that you can't see how bright they are. But they never stop shining. All you need, is to clear the clouds to see them shine again."

xix.

Kurt flips when he finds out a week later.

He and Blaine both decide to randomly visit one day to surprise him souvenirs from their world travel. Apparently, they were in for a surprise themselves. As far as they've known, Finn was still living a miserable life in New York alone.

"So you mean to tell me that you two eloped?"

"Yup."

"And you," Kurt continues, pointing to Rachel, "can talk now?"

"Well it appears so. I must admit that the whole 'not talking' phase was a bit overdramatic, but that's Rachel Hudson for you. She never lets a day pass without earning her rightful title of being the Queen of Drama."

"Tell me about it." Finn adds as he wraps an arm around her. "The other night, she yelled at me for feeding Hope some tuna, then lectured me on the importance of a 'natural diet' when the cat was the one who jumped on the counter and ate my tuna sandwich while I was in the bathroom."

"Finn, now that Hope's growing we have to adapt to her needs! I will not have my little girl turn into a carnivore like her father!"

"Here we go again."

"Look," Blaine interrupts, "I'm just happy you two finally have things figured out. I'm really happy for you guys."

"I personally have never been happier in my entire life. I'm not going to lie, being married is hard. I mean with all that stress from work, you still have the fighting over the littlest of things, and of course, our past makes things, _complicated_. Nevertheless, I absolutely love being married. I don't think I could ever go back. The fact of the matter is, just to be able to come home to him, to sleep next to him at night, and just to know that we'll grow old together. It's funny, because this is something I've always known, but now, its reality." Rachel says.

"How could you do this to your own brother?" Kurt states shaking his head, still evidently in disbelief.

"What do you mean Kurt?"

"First, you guys get engaged in high school. Then, you stay engaged for eight years. And when you finally get your act together, you go off and elope and didn't tell me about?"

"Kurt…"

"No! You _promised_ me you would let me plan your wedding dammit!"

"Kurt…"

"Is that what is? Is it because I didn't approve of your engagement over ten years ago? Ugh you guys never do anything right! Whether you like it or not, I am giving you a proper wedding! One with a proper ceremony, with bridesmaids, and oh- we can get your dress at _Kleinfeld! _I would love to make you a custom made dress, but with such a tight schedule, I'm not sure I would have time to finish. Plus, I would love to give Randy a piece of my mind…"

"Okay! I get it! Rachel Hudson…" Finn said, getting down on one knee yet again to the love of his life, "Will you marry me, again?"

"Yes Finn Hudson," she replied giggling, "I would love to marry you, again."

xx.

They get married again in Lima, with all their family and friends present.

Even though Kurt goes all out for their wedding, it's still tied with their first ceremony. What can he say he's a really sentimental guy? It's still perfect though. But it isn't the flowers, or the rabbi, or even their family and friends that make it perfect. It's Rachel.

"Alright everybody!" she announces on stage during the reception. "It's Rachel Hudson here, and even though this may not be our first marriage ceremony, it still means a lot having everyone here. As you all know, Finn and I have been through so much, both together and apart. However, no matter what life put us through, we were always destined to be together. Growing up, I've always been a talker. In fact, many of you have often told me that I talk too much. But as many of you know, I stopped talking for a while, because of what happened nearly three years. I was a mess, I was sure I had lost my way. I had given up. That is until Finn came back into my life. I had the honor of falling in love with him again in an entirely different way. Finn Hudson, words can _never_ describe how much you mean to me, but I'll try to show you, the only way I know how."

_It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart _

His own heart starts beating faster and faster, something it only does in response to that sound. Is this real life? Is Rachel, his Rachel, _singing_?

_Without saying a word, you can light up the dark_

She sounds perfect, as if nothing has happened. It still has that emotion to it; it's almost as if it's alive again. If anything, it's gotten better, considering this isn't really her typical style of singing.

_Try as I may, I could never explain _

_What I hear when you don't say a thing_

She's smiling at him with every musical note and he smiles back, absorbing every word she sings to him. Music is what brought them together, and it is through music that he understands. Music helped build and strengthen the tether that will forever tie them together. This tether, it connects them, such in a way words can never define. He's never really been good with words. He had severe cases of word vomit more time than he can admit, but she knows how she means to him, and he knows she feels the same. Love, it isn't something logical, something you can decipher with a formula or textbook. Love is much deeper than that. It only takes a few seconds to say 'I love you', but it can take a lifetime to prove it.

_The smile on your face lets me know that you need me _

_There's a truth in your eyes, saying you'll never leave me _

_The touch of your hand says you'll catch me, whenever I fall_

_You say it best, _

_When you say nothing at all_

xxi.

"Where is she? Oh dear lord that child wasn't due for another two weeks!" Kurt screamed.

"Hold up, there is no way I am going to let you see my goddaughter before me."

"Santana, there is no god damn way you are holding her before me. I am the child's uncle for heaven's sake."

"Please, that child wouldn't even be here if it weren't for me!"

"Umm hello? I do recall Paris being a one-year wedding anniversary present from moi."

"Hey, you and I both know that Finn and Rachel bang any chance they get. There's no guarantee that she was conceived in Paris."

"Guys!" Blaine intercepted, playing peacemaker yet again. "Look, why can't we all just be supportive for Finn and Rachel's sake. Look here Finn comes now."

"Hey guys! How'd you guys like to see the newest edition of the Hudson family?"

"Goodness Rachel, she's beautiful." Kurt whispered as he let his niece instinctively curl her fingers against his finger while she was sleeping in the arms of her mother. "What's her name?"

"Melody Briana Hudson." Rachel said proudly. "Melody of course for its musical meaning, and Briana after her godmothers."

"See, what did I tell you?" Santana smirked, right before being elbowed by Brittany.

"Look who I just found." Finn called from the door, with Puck and Quinn following behind hand-in-hand.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, when did this happen, again?" Kurt asked.

"Well if you must know," Quinn started, rolling her eyes, "Puck and I got reacquainted with one another at Finn and Rachel's wedding over a year ago."

"Yeah, sure, _reacquainted_... that's just about right." Puck added. "Look, I was sick of touring around the country and all that rock star shit, so I decided to, you know, settle down… in San Francisco… with Quinn."

"Well I am very happy, for the both of you. I must say, it means a lot to us that you flew all the way here early for our little girl." Rachel stated.

"Oh Rachel, she's perfect, and she's so healthy!" Quinn exclaimed. "May I hold her?"

"Of course, Doctor Fabray." Rachel replied, handing her baby in the arms of Quinn.

"Well I guess you were both wrong." Blaine said to a pouty Kurt and Santana.

"Aunt Tana is next! I called it!"

"She looks just like you Berry." Puck said next to Quinn, gently stroking Melody's head, ignoring Rachel's 'Hudson' reply. "I'd say she's the second cutest baby in the world."

"I just got off the phone with our parents and they just got off the airport. A bunch of other people called and said they were coming too, I guess they couldn't wait to see our Finchel baby." Finn said.

"Great." She replied as he pecked her on the lips.

"You did such a great job Rach. Melody's our most precious gift. And don't worry, I'm sure Hope will love her just as much." He beamed.

"So Rachel…" Brittany interrupted just as the two were about to go in for another kiss. "In these past few years alone, you: lost your voice, opened both New York's and LA's most popular bakery, got engaged-again, got married less than an hour later, got married-again, finally achieved your dream of being on Broadway, won a tony, got pregnant, and gave birth to your daughter. I guess what the big question is, what you going to do next?"

"I'll tell you what I am going to do. I'm going to take a nap, because I am exhausted. Then, as soon as everyone is gone, and it's nice and quiet, I'm going to rock my daughter to bed."

And she did just that.

Seeing his wife and his daughter together is priceless. He manages to snap a quick picture of the two of them on his phone before Rachel wakes up. Upon seeing him she summons him forward, and has him sit down on the rocking chair while she and Melody sat on his lap. Together they swayed back and forth in silence, listening only to the squeak of the rocking chair as they rock.

Neither of them needed to tell the other how perfect their lives were at the moment. They already knew.

* * *

><p><em><em><em>Just a little note, I just had to include a Quick scene, especially with what happened in the last episode. Songs are "More Than Words" by Extreme and "When You Say Nothing At All" version by Alison Krauss (There's like three versions so I stuck with hers since Rachel is a girl).<em>__

__Anyways, I just want to thank you all for taking the time to read this!__


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